Barkan's Briefly Noted (Substack Edition)

I highlight some of the great Substacks out there

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Earlier this year, I wrote small reviews of three excellent books I’d recently read. My goal was to put my money where my mouth is and review more books. I wanted to bring attention, too, to books that wouldn’t be the beneficiaries of a Jenna Bush book club selection or a PR hype cycle from a heavy-hitting publishing house. There will be more of these reviews and if you have suggested books for me (preferably novels), please let me know.

Now I want to write a bit on the Substacks I read. I read many, many Substacks and there are a decent number of excellent ones. The new writing culture here is quite invigorating. The quality of engagement, argument, and prose is far superior to any found on social media. Little has aged quite as poorly as the Substack panic.

I am going to spotlight Substacks that don’t have tens of thousands of subscribers. But I’ll briefly mention some of the heavyweights here, many of which you probably know already. One of the very best in the business is Freddie DeBoer. DeBoer, a Marxist author and activist, is a true original, and he can enlighten and entertain in equal measure. Ethan Strauss is a sports and culture writer (and podcaster) who tackles the subjects in entertainment and media that most willfully ignore. Strauss, like DeBoer, zigs where others zag, and he’s a necessary voice. Ted Gioia, the jazz historian, maintains the Honest Broker, which mixes commentary on art, culture, tech, and commerce that can’t be missed.

Without further ado, here are the great Substacks I’m reading now—and the ones you’ll want to subscribe to as soon as possible.

Salieri Redemption by Chris Jesu Lee

I came to know Lee this year. He is a writer of impressive range, hopping from literary and cultural analysis (he’s a very adept reviewer of television and novels alike) to critiques of identity concerns, all in an original and mediative prose style. Lee is the sort of writer who easily draws you in. His book reviews, in particular, make you pay attention; I still think about his takedown of Yellowface.

Fake Chuck Knoblauch by Craig Heed

Heed is better known as a musician, the frontman of two different rock bands, Miracles Sweepstakes and Hit, that are making better music than just about anyone else today. His latest album is out and you should buy it. But he’s also a talented writer and visual artist; this year, I like to think I bugged him enough to start this Substack on baseball and culture, which happily eviscerates the equally dull tropes of sports analysis—WFAN bro-dom and left-liberal analytics obsession—that have captured most writing out there. Heed will be due for a dispatch on the Yankee offseason and it’ll be more interesting than anything you read in the Athletic, I’d bet that much. (And this isn’t meant to insult the Athletic—they’ve given the New York Times a real sports section again.) Each Substack post comes with an original Heed illustration.

Café Anne by Anne Kadet

Kadet’s recent star-turn may have come in the New York Times, which picked up her investigation of a delightfully fake steakhouse, but real New Yorkers have known of Café Anne for a long time. A veteran journalist, Kadet is the rare Substacker who spends each week out on the streets, reporting. How to describe Café Anne? It’s an odyssey, perhaps, into the heart of the actual New York, hilarious and antic and occasionally poignant. It’s hard to even say what I enjoy most about this Substack. Maybe the revelation that John Catsimatidis’ mother peeled his grapes for him.

Dwell by Andrew Boryga

Boryga’s debut novel, Victim, is due out new year, and I recommend you pre-order it now. Victim is a biting takedown of the shallow, identity-obsessed media culture of the 2010s, and also a Künstlerroman of a working class, Puerto Rican kid from the Bronx who wants to be a literary star. Dwell is a reflection on the craft of writing, and is a great resource for anyone wanting to know how to get better and what the path to publication might look like. It reads as an extended conversation with his readers, and I’m always waiting for the next piece.

The Narrative Wars by Michael Lange

The rise of Substack and the decline of local news has offered an opportunity for those who can seize it—and Lange absolutely has. For those who follow New York politics, Lange’s dispatches can’t be missed. He writes deeply-researched pieces on current events and historical trends, and he is a must-follow for any election season. Few know more about local politics than him, and no one dives so deep. This year, Lange also worked on the successful City Council campaign for Yusef Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five, and he can use that campaign experience to even better inform his work. I can say with confidence most political insiders in New York hungrily await whatever Lange next publishes. Keep your eye on him.

Society & Standpoint by Sheluyang Peng

Peng is from Sunset Park, the Brooklyn neighborhood north of Bay Ridge, where I grew up. A graduate of Stuyvesant High School and Sarah Lawrence, Peng has used his Substack to probe uncomfortable and essential questions of identity and class. The child of working class Chinese immigrants and preachers, Peng grew up with a deep understanding of religion, and his writing reflects a perspective rarely found in elite circles. He is very much a young writer to watch and I’m excited to see what he does next.

Notes from a Small Press by Anne Trubek

Trubek is the founder and publisher of Belt, an independent publishing house that focuses on literature and nonfiction from the Rust Belt. Her Substack is a fascinating window into the life of a small-press publisher; Trubek, an academic by trade, writes clearly and sharply about the business of books. Her Substack has been helpful to me these past few years, and any time there’s a debate or controversy in the world of books, I eagerly await her take.

Christian Lorentzen’s Diary by Christian Lorentzen

The best literary critic in America! I first started reading Lorentzen when he was reviewing books for New York Magazine. Now a regular contributor to Harper’s and Bookforum, Lorentzen maintains a Substack to publish essays and observational pieces. His dispatches from Albania were some of my favorite. Lorentzen’s views on literature are practically gospel. And I love when he gets in a scathing mood.

The Discourse Lounge by Darrell Owens

Owens is a young writer and housing activist. His Substack pairs incisive housing and economic analysis with personal reflections on his life as a young Black man from the Bay Area. I first encountered him when I wrote on national housing policy for New York Magazine last year, and his writing has been quite useful since then.

Publishing Confidential by Kathleen Schmidt

Publishing Confidential was a new discovery for me and I quickly subscribed. Schmidt is a book publicist who writes on the publishing industry, elucidating bluntly what works and what doesn’t for books. I’m already interested in her thoughts on book promotion, and what will fly in the future. Her view? Ditch Twitter/X and keep an eye on places like Substack, where authors can curate their own mailing lists. Schmidt has deep experience in the industry and it’s always good to hear from genuine subject matter experts.

The Will Leitch Newsletter by Will Leitch

Last but absolutely not least! I first read Leitch when he founded Deadspin and later made the jump to New York Magazine. These days, he’s also an accomplished novelist and his weekly Substack arrives, like literal clockwork, every Saturday. I think of each email like a self-contained, mini-memoir, and every new dispatch feels like a personal update from a friend. He says he’ll never paywall these so you really have no excuse—you should subscribe.